There's Only Us
by BeccaTheNerdGirl
Summary: When Belinda Brian is forcefully kicked out on her 18th birthday, a girl who was destined for an Ivy League school is left now homeless. Will this privileged young woman be able live the bohemian life? Follow Belinda on her journey to survive alongside our favorite residents of Alphabet City.
1. From Here On In

**Hi all! I'm Becca :)I became a RENThead about a week ago and quickly found inspiration for this story. I hope you enjoy. Please read and review! I look forward to what you have to say. I don't own anything related to RENT, only my character Belinda Brian**

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><p><em>December 24th, 9 PM, Eastern Standard Time. From here on in, I'm on my own. See if anything comes from it, instead of my old life.<em>

I woke with a start as the breaks of the Greyhound bus squealed and we lurched to a stop. The driver made eye contact with me through the mirror.

"End of the line, young lady. Get on your way."

I glanced around the empty bus, hoping someone would magically appear who needed to go somewhere important. I had ridden the bus as far as I could, where ever it went, for as long I could. No one appeared,so it looked this was the end of the road. Sighing heavily, I pulled the strap of my duffle bag over my shoulder and walked to the front. I dropped a few coins into the driver's open palm.

"Thanks for taking me this far. It means a lot." I told him.

"No problem. I hope you get where you're trying to go."

"You and me both." I said as I climbed down the steep stairs. As I my feet hit the wet pavement, I turned around and asked "Where am I?"

"New York. Welcome to Alphabet City, kid." The door to the bus was almost closed when the driver opened them again to say "Good luck, kiddo...and Merry Christmas."

The door closed firmly, sealing off any further conversation. The bus backfired a little before heading on down the street, splashing cold, dirty water on my boots. "Brilliant." I muttered angrily. "Joy to the freaking world."

I squinted around in the darkness of the evening, the only source of light coming from dimly lit street lamps. I pulled my brown leather jacket closer around me, in a weak attempt to try and keep warm. I walked slowly on the wet sidewalk, knowing the last thing I needed was to bite the dust. I was already feeling weak from drowsiness and lack of food. I had to get somewhere indoors and hopefully warm. I kept walking for a few mintues, trying to take in my surrounds. I had never been a city this big before, and here I was smack in the middle of New York City. It was incredibly daunting. After walking aimlessly up and down the street, I came across a set of teal double doors. It looked harmless enough, right? I hesitated before opening them, but I knew I had to get out of the cold. I grabbed the handle and yanked it open, the hinges creaking. I walked up a flight of grimy, graffiti covered stairs, trying not to make too much noise. I didn't want to disturb anyone who lived here, if there was anyone here at all. At the top of the stairs there was a closed sliding door. I slumped down against the wall across from the door. I laid my bag on the floor next to me and pressed to it, already feeling sleep overtake me...

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><p>"What should we do, Mark? Just because she's outside our door doesn't mean we have to take her in."<p>

"Roger, come on. She's just a kid. We should help her."

"A kid? She's gotta be Mimi's age, at least. Just wake her up, Mark."

"Erm...well...fine."

A hand grabbed my shoulder and gently shook me. I looked up to see a young man with glasses and reddish blonde staring down at me. "Hey there...good morning." A smile broke on his face.

"Um...morning." I sat up slowly, dragging a hand through my ratty hair. "Sorry," I looked up at two men hovering above me. "Am I in your way?"

"No, not at all." The man with glasses said. He took my hand and raised me to my feet. "I'm Mark Cohen. This is my roomate, Roger Davis." He gestured to the rather stoic looking man, much taller than himself.

"Hi." I extended my hand to both men. "I'm Belinda Brian." As I stood, I watched the gaze of both men fall on my abdomen. I put a hand on the small bulge at my middle and said, "And...this is my baby."

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><p><strong>Ok, that's it for now. Sorry it's so short. What did you think about Belinda? Please review!<strong>


	2. Time Flies

**New installment! Enjoy!**

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><p>"Where are you from, Belinda?" Mark asked as he wrapped an arm around me. Roger unlocked the sliding door and pushed it open.<p>

"Indiana. Indianapolis, actually." I answered, hauling my duffle bag off the floor.

"New York must be pretty different for you then." Mark smiled.

I laughed. "Buddy, you have no idea." A guitar was propped up against a sofa which sat in the wide, open loft. I turned to Roger. "Do you play?"

The taller man nodded. "How'd you guess?"

"I don't see Mark as soulful guitar guy." I smirked.

"And I look soulful to you?" Roger raised an eyebrow.

"Not the first word that comes to mind." Mark chuckled. For that, Roger gave him a playful punch into his arm.

"Ow!" The poor guy rubbed his arm. "Belinda, please have a seat." He gestured to the sofa. "Do you need something to eat?"

The thought of food sent my stomach growling and head spinning. I felt faint as I sunk into the sofa. "Yes. Do you mind?"

Mark shook his head. He pulled a can of beans from the shelf and started heating them up. "So can I ask what brought you to New York?"

I sighed, tucking my feet under me. I stared out the window into the pale morning light until I could say anything. "You want to hear the whole story? It's a long one."

"If you feel comfortable. It can stay between us three, promise. Right Roger?" Mark looked to his roommate.

Roger took a seat in a chair beside me. "Yeah, of course. No judgement." He nodded.

I adjusted my glasses nervously. "My entire life was building up to something, I always knew that. Even when I was little I was waiting for this epic climax in my life. Mom died when I was three. My dad is a pastor at our church and he always said how I was destined for greatness. I was the top if my class as a freshman, sophomore, and junior. I was supposed to get the scholarship that would send me to Stanford. I was the perfect kid with the perfect grades and the perfect life. Then I met a boy this past fall, Ryan. We started our senior year together. He was sweet and kind and attractive. I let my guard down with him. One night my dad and I had a fight, so I went to Ryan's to cool down. I was emotional and vulnerable... and Ryan seemed like an easy fix for my pain. I slept with him that night. That's something I swore I'd never do. I was dealing with it for the most part until I found out about the baby. I kept it a secret until my dad started getting suspicious a few days ago. I told him the day before Christmas Eve and it was also my 18th birthday. He suggested I get rid of it, so no one would know and he'd still have a good reputation within the church. When I refused, he kicked me out. On the day before freaking Christmas Eve."

Mark gawked at me with wide eyes. "You're kidding."

"Happy birthday Jesus." Roger said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"Yeah really. I hopped on a Greyhound and never looked back. So I'm here with no job and no diploma. I'm hoping I can find a place to take night classes. I only have a semester left." I tucked my long brown hair behind my ears.

"Belinda, I'm so sorry." Mark's eyes were sad as he spooned food onto a plate.

I tried to smile "It's ok. I've got my baby. That's what's important." I patted my barely there tummy.

"You don't have anyone?" Roger asked.

"Zilch, nada. Zip." I groaned, putting my chin in my hands.

Mark and Roger silently communicated from across the room. They exchanged glances and it was clear they were debating something. Roger gave a short nod and Mark shrugged.

"You wanna crash on our couch for a while? We'll help you get on your feet." Mark asked as he passed me a plate and fork.

"Oh no." I shook my head. " I couldn't. I don't want to impose on your space."

"Belinda, you have a baby to think about. Its the least we could do." Roger said.

"Are you sure?" I looked at Mark with uncertainty.

"Positive." He said firmly.

"Thank you." I said sincerely.

Roger chuckled from his seat. "The bohemian life just might work for you, little miss Standford." He said teasingly.

"We'll just have to see." I stared into what was technically my breakfast. And so begins my life in Alphabet City.

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><p><strong>Please review!<strong>


	3. Christmas in Bohemia

**Hi everyone! I really thought I wasn't going to have time to update this week, but I'm glad I did! I didn't state this before, but my fic is based on the movie. I'm more familiar with it than the stage production. We get to meet Angel and Collins so YAY! I hope I did them justice. Enjoy! **

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

"Merry Christmas bitches!" A tall African American man busted through the door, startling the crap out of me.

"Collins!" Mark exclaimed, leaping to his feet. He rushed to the man.

"Your keys." The individual named Collins chucked a set of keys to Mark.

"Yeah 14 hours later! What the hell happened to you?" He threw his arms around his friend.

"Ow!" Collins winced.

"Are you alright?" Mark asked.

"I have never been better. Here." He thrust the handle of a white bucket into Mark's hands. Collins nodded to Roger as he placed his shoes in the corner.

"Oh hi." Roger said softly.

"Oh hi after 7 months?" Collins wrapped him in a bear hug.

I raised an eyebrow at Mark and he shook his head as if to say, "_Not now."_

"I'm sorry." Roger laughed.

"You know what you need? This boy could use some Stoli." Collins pulled a glass bottle from the bucket.

"This a complete Christmas feast, thank you." The small group made their way over to the couch.

"You struck gold at MIT!" Roger said triumphantly. The trio began passing around paper cups.

"Not really…" Collins trailed off as his gaze fell on my curled up form on the couch. "Who's this?"

"Collins, this is Belinda. She'll be staying with Roger and I for a bit." Mark explained. I untucked my feet from under me and stood.

"Tom Collins, please to meet ya." The man flashed a kind smile as he took my hand. He handed me a paper cup . "Merry Christmas."

"Oh." I held the cup gingerly in my hand. "None for me, thanks." I might as well have had **BABY ON BOARD** tattooed to my forehead because my new friend quickly got the picture.

"My apologies." The man blushed. "And congratulations."

"Thank you." I smiled. The comment took my breath for a moment. He was the first person to congratulate me rather than condemn me, and I only just met him.

"I got a teaching gig at NYU." The conversation continued.

"Oh so that's how you can afford to splurge on us." Mark surmised.

**{Insert Today 4 U *throws money at all my awesome readers*}**

"Hi sugar. I'm Angel." A beautiful woman sat next to me after making quite a grand entrance. She flashed a brilliant smile in my direction.

"Belinda." I smiled back. I hadn't been this happy in weeks. These people were unlike anything back in Indiana. They were comfortable to be around and confident in who they were. I loved that. My musings were interrupted by the shrill ring of a telephone.

"_Speaaaak_" The unique voicemail on the answering machine made me me giggle.

"Mark, hi. It's me Maureen. Look, I have a bit of a problem…" A woman's voice spoke from the other end.

"Who's Maureen?" I whispered to the group as Mark moved to answer the phone.

"Mark's girlfriend." Collins answered me.

"Okay?" I said, not understanding the issue. Mark seemed kind of tense.

"_Ex_-girlfriend" Roger corrected. "Mareen is now dating a woman named Joanne." He explained quietly. Angel gave a horrified gasp and Collins chuckled.

"Ouch.." I must have made a face because Roger began snorting with laughter. It was then I noticed a message from a person named Mimi written through the frost of the back windows. _Who on earth is Mimi? _I had already bombarded my new friends with plenty of questions, so I kept this one to myself.

"Ok, see you soon." Mark was ending his conversation.

"Awww, you still love her." Collins teased as Mark wrapped a scarf around his neck and threw a long coat.

"Yeah right." Mark scoffed.

"Honey, we have to go." Angel reminded gently, looking to Collins.

"Oh right! We've got this gathering to go to, do ya'll wanna go?" Collins offered brightly.

"Where?" Roger asked?"

"Life support." Angel answered.

" On Christmas?" Roger replied.

"Some people don't have anywhere else to go today. You should come." Angel said kindly.

"Knock yourselves out." Roger answered a little harshly.

"Mark, Belinda, everyone's welcome it's not just for people with AIDS, ok?"

"I'd be glad to come, if that's ok." I scooped up my last few mouthfuls of breakfast and placed my dirty pate in the small kitchen. Coming from a conservative upbringing, I knew very little about AIDS. I hoped the outing would enlighten me some.

"Ok, I'll be there." Mark said. "First I have a protest to save. Bye guys" He hurried out the door.

Collins turned to Roger. "It's Christmas, don't stay in the house all day." He gave his friend a nudge.

"You sure you're ok?" I asked as I threw my leather jacket on.

Roger nodded, his blonde locks bobbing a bit. He smiled and waved me off. I slid the loft door shut. Collins and Angel were already headed down the stairs. The gust of cold air shook my senses as we headed outside.

"Ok guys, help a sister out." I linked arms with the couple. "What protest? And who the heck is Mimi?!" The two laughed heartily at my confusion.

"You have a lot to learn, young one." Collins teased. This sent another wave of giggles.

It was a new day, in a new city with new friends. This was my new life, and it was mine for the taking.

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><p><strong>There we have it! Sorry that a lot of the dialogue is the same. I tweaked it a little bit so I hope that's ok with all you RENTheads. I wasn't sure how to incorporate the song so I snuck in there. I promise my fic won't stick this close to the movie. I just liked the idea of Belinda meeting Collins and Angel this way. Hope ya'll don't mind. PLEASE review! And please let others know about this fic if you enjoyed it. I don't own RENT, just my character Belinda Brian. Much love!<strong>


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